For many people who work in various types of career, freelancing seems like an ideal path. You can work for yourself, choose your own projects and establish an enviable work-life balance. Like most dreams, the reality turns out to be very different. That’s not to say that a lot of freelancers are not satisfied, but many of them will give you a very different perspective on things.

If you are considering taking the plunge and going freelance, here are just a few of the things that they didn’t tell you about freelancing.

Many people don’t launch themselves headfirst into a freelance career but instead build it up over time. Before you have a steady stream of clients, you will really have to scrabble around looking for work to make yourself financially stable. The longer you do it, the easier the whole process becomes so don’t despair if you are really struggling to get clients. Once you build up a reputation, things start to become a lot easier.

Many freelancers bill themselves as the experts in a particular field, but you will need to continually hone your skills over time to ensure you are in the strongest position to attract new clients. This is especially true if you work in a fast-moving field like development, but there are always a range of tools that you can rely on including Stackify. If you aren’t constantly swimming against the tide, you are in danger of being swept away.

People Will Sometimes Not Understand

If you work from home, there is a common misconception that you are sitting at home in your pajamas half the day. And even if this is the case, what business is that of anyone’s as long as you get the work done?! Always remember the natural advantages your freelance career afford you and their comments are much more likely to roll right off your back!

In most walks of life, you end up having to deal with difficult clients but the advantage of a freelance career is that you don’t have to deal with a difficult boss at the same time! The longer you work as a freelancer, the more likely it will be that you can pick and choose your clients. Remember, you’re firmly in the driving seat when it comes to picking who you work with and how you deal with them.

You Need to be Disciplined

If you’re a freelancer, you have to be even more disciplined than if you hold down a regular job. Though you get to set your working hours, you need to make sure that you have a clear divide between work and free time. It’s very easy for this to become blurred if you work from home. Try to set up an office space so you can make a clear distinction between when you are working and when you are not. This will really help in the long run.